These steps are required when you convert from a demo/trial server installation to a production installation.

While you are demo-ing you do not need to do the Database Setup steps discussed below.

Your  server requires an SQL database for storing users and form submissions. The following SQL databases have been certified:

  • MySQL5.7
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2012, 2014
  • Oracle 11g

The server may function with other SQL database types but only the above set has been certified.

  • The default HSQLDB is ONLY sufficient for demo/trial versions of . All production users MUST switch their software to a production quality database.
  • You cannot migrate the data (user, roles, applications) automatically from HSQL to your production database. See this topic for the manual procedure details.

The following steps describe how to change the underlying database from the demo/trial HSQLDB to a production quality SQL database. The database configuration file frevvo.xml is located in <frevvo-home>/frevvo/tomcat/conf/Catalina/localhost directory.

On This page:

Select your database type

  1. First, Locate and copy the necessary jdbc driver for your database into <frevvo-home>\tomcat\lib.
  2. Edit the file <frevvo-home>\tomcat\conf\Catalina\localhost\frevvo.xml
  3. You will see a data source definition for the frevvo database type. name="jdbc/frevvoDS". See the sample below of the HSQLDB data source in the frevvo.xml file.
  4. Comment out the pair of the definitions for the default database (HSQLDB) using the <!-- --> comment characters. The entire section must be commented out:
<!-- 
		HSQLDB Resource 
	<Parameter name="org.quartz.jobStore.driverDelegateClass" value="org.quartz.impl.jdbcjobstore.HSQLDBDelegate" override="false"/>	
	<Resource auth="Container"
		type="javax.sql.DataSource"
		name="jdbc/frevvoDS"
		driverClassName="org.hsqldb.jdbcDriver"
		username="sa"
		password=""
		url="jdbc:hsqldb:file:${catalina.home}/../data/db/forms"
		maxActive="200"
		maxIdle="20"
		maxWait="10000"
		validationQuery="select 1 from INFORMATION_SCHEMA.SYSTEM_USERS"
		testOnBorrow="true"
		testOnIdle="true"
		timeBetweenEvictionRunsMillis="10000"
		removeAbandoned="true"
		logAbandoned="true"/>
-->

Next, uncomment the pair of definitions for your database. Ex: if you are using SQL server, uncomment the definition for SQLSERVER Resource. Save the changes.

 <!-- 
		SQLSERVER Resource
 -->		
	   <Parameter name="org.quartz.jobStore.driverDelegateClass" value="org.quartz.impl.jdbcjobstore.MSSQLDelegate" override="false"/>			
       <Resource auth="Container"
		maxActive="200"
		maxIdle="20"
		maxWait="10000"
		validationQuery="select 1"
		testOnBorrow="true"
		testOnIdle="true"
		timeBetweenEvictionRunsMillis="10000"
		removeAbandoned="true"
		logAbandoned="true"
		name="jdbc/frevvoDS"
		driverClassName="com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver"
		username="root"
		password=""
		type="javax.sql.DataSource"
		url="jdbc:sqlserver://localhost:1433;databaseName=frevvo;"/>

 There is now a parameter for org.quartz.jobStore.driverDelegateClass which is automatically configured for SQL and Oracle databases.  If the delegate property is explicitly set, it will override the automatic selection.

Configure the frevvo database

The frevvo database below must be created with UTF-8 encoding.

For your selected database type in frevvo.xml:

  1. Locate the frevvoDS data source url parameter and decide on a name for the frevvo database. For the SQL Server it would look like this: "url="jdbc:sqlserver://localhost:1433;databaseName=frevvo". You can change the name "frevvo" to whatever you wish, "" for example. But it must match the database name you create in your SQL server. See configure the connection Url below.
  2. Create a UTF-8 encoded database "frevvo" (assuming you left the url parameter database name as the default) in your SQL server
  3. Set the frevvoDS data source url parameter to your database server. See configure the connection Url below.
  4. Set the frevvoDS data source username and password parameters to a user that has read and write permissions to the frevvo database.
  5. The frevvo database setup is now complete.  will create all the necessary tables upon startup.

Where did the SQL scripts go? The server no longer needs the SQL scripts that used to be in <frevvo installdir>\frevvo\data\sql. The server automatically creates the necessary tables at first startup.

Configure the Connection Url

Configuration of the connection Url is key to successfully connect the  server to your database. Consult your DBA to assist with connection issues.

For your selected database type in frevvo.xml:

1) Set the frevvoDS data source url parameter to your database server. If  and the database server are collocated "localhost" may be fine. The url parameters depend on the database type and installation choices made when your DBA installed your database software. Consult your DBA for the correct connection values. For example, SQL server installed on a non-default port and running on a machine named e00sca will require that you add a port number and host name to the Url. For example:

url="jdbc:sqlserver://e00sca:59377;databaseName=frevvo;"

As of SQL 2000, Microsoft SQL allows installation of multiple SQL named instances. If your SQL server was installed this way you must use the instance parameter. For example if you database instance was named xyzzy:

url="jdbc:sqlserver://e00sca:59377;databaseName=frevvo;instance=xyzzy"

2) Verify that the user and password required to connect to the frevvo database are correct.
3) Make sure that the user configured in the data sources has permissions to read and write to the frevvo database.

Non Standard Databases

If you are trying a different database type and do not see an example in frevvo.xml for your database, you can create a new data source entry. Hibernate supports the following dialects however  has only been certified to run with a subset of these databases. For additional dialects see Hibernate documentation. 

See the certified database list above for all the databases officially supported by frevvo.

UTF-8 Encoded Database

The frevvo database must be created with UTF-8 encoding.

If you're using a improperly encoded database for frevvoDS you may run into one or more of the following runtime issues:

  1. International characters will not work correctly without the proper encoding.
  2. Workflows directed to a specific user may not appear on the user's task list.

Setting the encoding depends upon the database you are using. Please consult your database documentation.

MySQL UTF-8 Example

These commands will create the proper frevvo utf8 encoded database in mySql:

create database if not exists frevvo default character set "utf8" default collate "utf8_unicode_ci";

You can convert a database and/or table to UTF-8. Using the mySQL configuration file or via the mySQL cmd tool.

Via the configuration file:

[mysqld]
default-character-set=utf8
default-collation=utf8_unicode_cii

Via the mySQL cmd tool:

ALTER DATABASE frevvo CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci;
ALTER TABLE `frevvo16089`.`formsubmission` CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci;

Install a JDBC Driver

database relies on the JDBC API. You can use any relational database as long as you have a JDBC driver for that database, however. See the list of certified databases. If you choose a database that's not in this list you do so at your own risk.

You MUST use the JDBC4 type driver.

The  download package comes with several pre-installed drivers. For example, the HSQLDB.jar file is located in WEB-INF/lib in the frevvo.war.

If you don't find what you need pre-installed you will need to locate a driver compatible to your database. Usually you can download your driver from the internet. Try one of these locations

Once you have the driver you need, copy it to <frevvo-home>/tomcat/lib.

The <frevvo-home>\tomcat\logs\frevvo.log file will report an error if you do not copy the JDBC driver to lib directory. The verbiage may differ depending on the driver and database. For example, the error for MySQL is "Cannot load JDBC driver class 'com.mysql.jdbc.Driver". Starting without the correct jdbc driver displays an HTTP 404 error. Copying the correct jdbc driver to the <frevvo-home>/tomcat/lib directory should resolve the issue.

It is also appropriate to copy the driver into any location that is in the CLASSPATH of your servlet container. In a tomcat installation another location would be <CATALINA_HOME>/lib.

Transferring Your frevvo Data from HSQL to a Production Database

The bundle includes an HSQL embedded database. If you use the HSQL database during your trial period, You cannot migrate the data (user, roles, applications) automatically from HSQL to your production database. Once your production database is in place, you must manually: 

  1. Create your production tenant.
  2. Use bulk transfer of users to move your users/roles to the tenant.
  3. Download and upload the applications from designer user accounts in the trial database to the designer users in the new database.